


Crash Queens and Motor Babies

by LilahLuck



Series: The Killjoys Series [3]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-08 12:08:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16429109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilahLuck/pseuds/LilahLuck
Summary: Part 3 of the Killjoys Series. Sequel to Scarecrow and The Angel Solution and Hesitant Killjoys.The war is over, the Fabulous Killjoys retired and passed into legend....or so everyone thought at least.





	1. Grand Canyon

Dawn in the desert.  
Claire paused to look out on the vista as it stretched towards the edge of the drop. She never tired of this view, the entire Grand Canyon spread out before her and behind the small homestead that Frank had built when they had decided to settle out here. It was far enough away from the derelict Battery City and all the hell and high intensity that had been their lives back then.  
A wry smile crossed her face as a tiny hand reached forward and patted her cheek.  
“Yes, I know. Your daddy is making breakfast so give him time to make a mess.”  
The child smiled at her with Frank’s eyes and Claire again thanked her luck that they had made it through all the battles, past Vegas and out here to have the life that had seemed lost when the war broke out. No more killjoys, no more lasers and this baby, a year old now and her own miracle. Frank Iero Jnr, she hoped that he would grow up to be as good a man as his father.  
“C’mon kiddo.”  
Little Frankie gurgled, pulling on her hair as Claire picked up the bucket and closed the lid back over the well. She thought of the others, Ray had settled over with Missile and was playing doting parent as they were although after nearly four years Missile was in her teens and less likely to listen. Last she heard Mikey was exploring out east, the rumour being that the enemy had not been completely eradicated out there and he wasn’t about to let them rise again. Which left Gee and Lily, for a long time they had heard nothing, the pair disappearing on a semi drunken scouting expedition that turned into exploring southwards. Now occasional letters said that they had settled too and seemed to be enjoying retirement.  
It had been a year since they had all met up, when Frankie had been born and given three middle names so he would grow up knowing who his dad’s brothers were. Claire and Frank had not decided whether they would tell him the rest when he was older, something in both of them wanting to let the Fabulous Killjoys pass into legend as they had in the rest of the zones. A fledgling democracy now that would hopefully spread countrywide. It wasn’t perfect but it was a hell of a lot better than what they had been used to.  
“Are you trying to burn the house down?”  
Frank turned, wafting smoke from the pan as he grinned at his family.  
“It’s a gastronomic delight I tell you.”  
“Did it use to be eggs?”  
He smirked again, watching as Claire put little Frankie into his high chair and gave him a rusk which sailed over Frank’s head and into the pan. She rolled her eyes, content to let the two men in her life pull faces at each other as she made a mug of tea. He may not be the best cook but he won father of the year.  
“Letter came from Gee, they are heading back this way.”  
Claire sipped her tea.  
“They gonna visit?”  
“Yeah, apparently they’ve been looting bunkers down in the Carolinas.”  
There was something hopeful in his smile that caused Claire to giggle. Despite their agreement to retire and raise a family she knew they both missed the old days. Rainbow Revolver and Fun Ghoul had only really been hidden away, not entirely abandoned and she wondered if he would want one last adventure.  
“They find anything good?”  
Frank wiped the latest spat out egg from his eye and winked at his son.  
“All manner of things but I think storage could be an issue.”  
“In other words they want to hide some of it here.”  
Claire giggled, removing a mashed toast soldier from Frank’s hair and kissing him.  
“Yeah, not like we don’t have the room.”  
She nodded, the advantage of building on top of a cliff was what you could hide in the rock beneath. They may have given up the old ways but neither of them were naïve enough to think that one day trouble might not come looking so they cavern below held arms, suits, gadgets and gizmos galore along with the old uniforms, guns and masks that had made them legends.  
“As long as its nothing that could explode and take us with it.”  
“Lily said its completely safe.”  
Frank lost his air as Claire tickled him and the baby’s laughter joined theirs. Not like you could trust anything Lily might tell you when it came to weapons or just what retirement meant to her and Gee. Claire had probed of course but knew that it was more than likely that her friends still looked for trouble at every opportunity. It made for stimulating company.  
Frank himself was more than content. He had been through enough, dying and being resurrected only to be tortured, to more than enjoy his quieter existence. Now he had a family and as much as he missed Gee, Mikey and Ray, there was nothing in him that wanted his old life back. He buried his face in Claire’s hair and enjoyed her body against his.  
“Do you miss it?”  
“Sometimes but not enough to want back out there and we have little Frankie now.”  
He smiled, kissing her harder and staring into her eyes.  
“I don’t. Got everything I need right here.”  
“Smooth talker. Now go clean up the kid before he mashes more egg into his ear.”  
Frank turned, grinning at the sight of the baby who had given up on eating and was indeed trying to fill bodily orifices with food. Claire left him to it and headed down the stairs into the cooler air of the rock crevices. It was useful to stay down in the lower rooms during bad weather and the occasional rad and chemical storms but now she needed to shift some stuff around to make room for the harvest. They had become proficient farmers, enough to feed themselves and make a modest living in the local settlements. If people had guessed who they were it might have been different but both no longer looked like the wanted posters.  
After a half hour Frank joined her, little Frankie and his baby walker trundling in circles as they moved boxes around cleared out the storage area. The local radio was warning that the good weather couldn’t last and at least they could be ready. It was hot work and at first neither heard the car horn.  
“Is that…”  
Frank looked up, wiping his brow. Now he could hear it, urgent blasts echoing from outside. He and Claire exchanged a glance, little Frankie gathered up as they headed back up into the main house. Here the noise was louder and more urgent, the child deposited into his play pen as Frank opened the door and gasped.  
He recognised the car.  
Worse, he recognised the man slumped half out of the seat. His hand was still weakly on the horn and Frank broke into a run screaming over his shoulder.  
“Claire, we need medical supplies. NOW!”  
He gingerly lifted the man up, relieved at a weak moan that issued from his throat.  
“Mikey, can you hear me?”  
Frank noticed his friend’s eyes flickered but turned his attention back to the two bleeding wounds in his chest. Claire swore softly, spring open the first aid box as Frank tore the rest of Mikey’s shirt away and surveyed the damage. Mikey had clearly been doing a lot of fighting, finely muscled arms showed new and healing wounds while his face was lightly scratched under the stubble. His hair was shaved back and there was no sign of his glasses but somehow Mikey Way was still breathing. Frank set to work, neither he or Claire talking as they staunched the laser holes and set about cleaning out and bandaging the other wounds. Claire checked his pulse, concerned at how fast it was as she worked out how they could get him into the house and then hide the car.  
“What do you think happened?”  
Frank’s voice was tight and grim.  
“Nothing good. He’s lost a lot of blood and he wouldn’t have come here without another choice you know that.”  
She nodded, they had agreed that if trouble found them then they would stay away from each other unless there was no choice particularly now they had Missile and Little Frank to think of. The fact that Mikey was here and had clearly been in the fight of his life was not comforting. Carefully they lifted the injured man and between them carried him into the house and down into the caverns where the guest rooms were. There were more supplies down there, Ray had been their medic but all of them had training and soon Mikey was hooked to a drip and somewhat more stable. Claire now had little Frankie on her lap as Frank pulled up the covers.  
“We need to alert the others.”  
“He could have just run into bandits Frank, we don’t know what happened.”  
Frank bit his lip, the laser marks had revived some old bad memories.  
“He wouldn’t have come here unless it was bad.”  
Claire bounced the fractious child.  
“Until he comes around we won’t know and alerting Ray would only draw attention. We don’t even know where Gee is.”  
“We’ll use the radio if we have to.”  
She winced, radio contact was only for the worst of emergencies. Nobody wanted to give their positions away when an enemy might be listening. All the old fears started to resurface as Mikey groaned and opened his eyes.  
“Hey, Mikes. You’re safe now.”  
Mikey nodded weakly, slipping in and out of consciousness as he grabbed Frank’s hand. His voice was low and urgent, his eyes focussing with the most desperate glare that Frank had ever seen in his life. He forced out the words before sliding back into the cool grip of sleep.  
“They’re coming…you have to find Party and Crimson.”  
Claire and Frank stared at each other before looking down and both the sleeping man and the dozing child.  
“It’s starting again.”


	2. Bunkers

Lily rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stared at the ceiling.  
It was concrete, like most bunkers, with a struggling crack that was working its way from corner to corner in a lazy and not to straight line. There was irony in that and she grinned, something like how life’s path had taken her and Gee since they left Vegas.   
Retirement had seemed like a good idea.  
Until the boredom set in.  
Until Gee said there was good money in running illegal old tech between factions.  
Now that was much more fun.  
If anyone had guessed who they were, she was pretty sure they had, then it only increased their rep and even fewer people than normal messed with them. That in itself was a good thing given that even as good as both of them were it was easy to be outnumbered. Lily missed their friends, happy for Frank and Claire that they had the lives they wanted, that Ray was married and settled too…even that Mikey was off being mysterious, it didn’t stop her wishing they were all together again.  
Gerard moved in his sleep, one arm lazily snaking across her as his face rested against her shoulder. Lily gently moved his hair away from his eyes and smiled, he never seemed to age, his hair black and longer than he usually kept it so that it fell in waves. She had always considered him the most handsome man she had ever met and the years were doing nothing to change that.  
This run and this bunker were new, they had only found it by chance on a new map that had been handed to them by the latest client. This one was a budding war lord, he paid well but Lily didn’t trust him and Gee was ready to make sure that anything they found that would be overly dangerous would be kept for themselves rather than handed over. Their own base of operations contained some of the best tech left in what remained of the country and that was how both of them liked it.  
“What time is it?”  
Lily reached for her watch, smiling at his lips kissing up her neck.  
“Just after ten. We should go tech hunting.”  
Gerard grinned lazily, looking up at his woman with something that approached predation. She might think he never aged but he considered that she was still the same wild thing he had known since they were kids. Nobody tamed his Lily except him and Gee would never have enough. He nipped the soft skin by her ear and shivered.  
“Too cold. Naked snuggling only.”  
“We’ve been naked snuggling all night bar that quickie over the table.”  
“Another quickie it is…”  
Lily giggled, kissing him hard before pulling his face away so she could look in his eyes.”  
“Work first. Quickie after cos we need to get paid.”  
Gerard let out a dramatic sigh, one hand going to his forehead as she started to scrabble around for clothes. He enjoyed the view of her ass as she leant out of the camp bed. They had left encryption software running on the vaults below, the sophistication of the software required telling the ex killjoys that there was some seriously good stuff inside. Gee missed Ray, he would have loved it.  
“But…but…I died once and I think its only regular rough sex that lets me live with it.”  
Lily sniggered, glancing back over her shoulder.  
“I died too Way but you don’t hear me bitching about it.”  
“I died longer.”  
“Doesn’t count.”  
“Does too.”  
The light-hearted argument continued as they dressed and fought over the tiny bathroom. By the time Lily had made them coffee she was regretting turning down the quickie and contented herself sitting in his lap as he studied the other sets of bunkers. Seemed the further south they went the more they found and it made him nervous. Gerard had never believed the enemy were beaten, just that he had done his part and someone else would have to fight the next war.  
“If its empty then we wasted a lot of time.”  
Lily stroked his neck, always aware when he was stressed.  
“Then we give that shit lizard back his money and move on. We got all that stuff to dump with Claire and Frank. Be nice to take a holiday.”  
A smirk crossed Gee’s face.  
“You getting broody? Bit of time with Claire and Little Frank might make you want to settle down.”  
“Well your brother does like being called daddy so is it catching?”  
Now he did laugh, lifting her up and setting her on her feet as he reached for their jackets and guns. The whole place was cold and musty, the stairways giving way in places and always the chance of running into the wildlife which meant weapons were a must. They carefully made a path down deeper into the complex before coming up against the massive metal doors that towered above them and lead down to the vaults. The small hand held terminal they had hooked up showed a green light and Gee pressed it, the grating of metal causing Lily to wince as the door inched open and then jammed.  
“Enough to get in.”  
Gerard handed Lily the terminal and balanced the yellow gun in his hand, squeezing through the gap and into the room behind. She followed, eyes adjusting to the gloom before a weak electric light came on and showed the racks and racks of arms and ammunition. It had to be the biggest haul that they had come across and they were like kids in a candy shop. Lily sprinted along the racks, logging weapons they used, the ones they had seen in manuals and then stopped.  
“Gee, take a look at this.”  
He came rapidly to join her, the awe in her voice mirrored in his gaze as he looked at the rack of rifles in front of them. They had never seen these bar rumours and scribbled diagrams, this was better than anything they had used and she knew from his smile that the client would only see a fraction of what he had bought.  
“Anti material rifles. Kill a man in the next room without even being seen.”  
“Can’t give the bandits these.”  
Gerard grinned, gathering the guns up and adding them to the pile to be hauled out.  
“He’s an idiot. We can give him one and some of those grenades and he’s gonna think he’s getting a good deal. Hope Frank has plenty of room.”  
Lily picked up another set of grenades and slipped them in her pocket. The hard work of getting the haul up and into the large jeep they were using for hauling would take several hours and that meant travelling at night. Always more dangerous and she wanted to be heading back north before dawn.   
“He’d better or little Frank is gonna be sharing his cot with a missile launcher.”  
It was hot and tiring work, the hidden jeep being filled, driven to their base and then refilled before both were satisfied that all the good stuff had been hauled. Lily set to cataloguing and calibrating the stuff they kept as Gee drove what they were willing to sell to the client and came back nearly a hundred thousand credits richer. If the bandits knew what the erstwhile arms dealers were sitting on then Gerard knew they were dead and was all the more happy to move on.  
“I’ve packed the good stuff. When do you want to leave?”  
Gerard kissed Lily’s smile and gratefully accepted the steaming cup of coffee she held.  
“Much as I hate to say it, travelling at night is the best idea. You drive the truck, I will bring the Camero and keep any trouble off you. With luck we can get a clear run north and….”  
His voice died away at the static that started up in the next room. Lily frowned, the radio was always on but nobody used it. Was just there as a thing to make both of them feel more comfortable that all was well in the world and their friends were fine. Gerard would never admit it, he only rarely admitted it to himself, but he had always felt that it was safer for his friends if he and Lily stayed away, Anyone who wanted to come after them would always come after him first.  
“Is it?”  
He nodded, Lily trailing behind as Gerard pushed open the door to the next room. Now there was a voice coming through, one they knew and loved and at that moment Gee knew that it was over, that the past was about to catch up.  
“Gee, Lily, you there?”  
Gerard picked up the receiver, his voice steady.  
“Frank?”  
“Thank god. I’m gonna make this quick, you need to gather weapons and head to Ray’s. We are heading there now with Mikey, he’s badly hurt but alive. All he can tell us is that BLI has taken the East Coast. They’ve been hiding all this time Gee but now they are coming for us and killing everyone in their way. We need to hide the kids and don the colours.”  
Lily felt the world turn, seeing the stark shock on Gee’s face.  
“Keep running Frankie, keep your family and my brother safe. See you at Ray’s.”  
Gerard dropped the receiver and turned pulling Lily into his arms.  
“Go south.”  
Lily pulled away from him, her voice firm.  
“Not going to happen.”  
“I can’t watch you die again.”  
Gerard knew he was going into shock, the thought of being pulled back into the fight was one thing but BLI rising again was another. Party Poison would be expected to lead the fight, the new leadership of the governing killjoy governments would look to him and he didn’t want the burden again, didn’t want to see his family go into battle again.  
“Ditto but you’re not going alone and they need us.”  
He leant against the desk, his smile tired.  
“You never wanted this before, the cause never appealed to you.”  
Lily went to him, her mind full of thoughts of their friends.  
“And I don’t now but they’re gonna come for us either way and if we’re gonna die then I want it to mean something.”  
Gerard could do nothing but hold her, his mind drawn to past battles and the pain that they caused. She was right, Crimson was always right and he smiled to himself, his mind automatically going back to calling her by the killjoy name that had become synonymous with death. He knew the scars were under her hair same as his the ones that streaked across his body and now it would all start again.  
“I don’t think I can do this again.”  
Lily kissed him, knowing the cost it took for Gee to say those words.  
“You will have me and Claire and the boys. It might not be as bad as Mikey thinks, we don’t know and even if it is then there are other leaders now.”  
He nodded, a wry smile on his face.  
“Others who will die in our place?”  
Now she did grin.  
“Fuck yeah. Are we going back in full Killjoy?”  
Gerard nodded, if war was coming then it would be what everyone needed to see.  
“Camero will stay here, I’ll break out the war horse but we still need to bring the weapons.”  
There was a new purpose to the packing now, a new fire in both of them that Lily had thought had been extinguished. It was one thing to retire and only half mean it but this was different. No matter what she said to Gee she knew that Mikey was too good a scout and too experienced a killer to get the odds wrong. By the time Gee drove the Trans Am out from the deepest recess of their hideout she had abandoned this life and it was Crimson Suicide that started up the wagon of death to follow Party Poison out onto the main road.   
If hell was coming then death was on its way to meet it.


	3. Preparations

Ray shivered despite the desert heat.  
Any other time he loved the sight in front of him, Gee and Frank locked into a tight embrace as Lily carried Little Frankie towards the house talking animatedly to Claire and Missile as the sun sank behind them all. He had missed them all, thoroughly looked forward to every visit and yet now he had dreaded it since Frank made the call.   
Behind him his wife Sarah, formerly Bright Blade, was tending to Mikey and bandaging the last of the nanotech healing gel onto the laser wounds. An invention that Ray had come up with, it would help the tall man heal in days rather than weeks and already Mikey’s pallor had some colour rather than grey. It didn’t help Ray feel any better about what was to come, only a deeper sense of foreboding.  
“I thought it was over.”  
Sarah paused, worry for him clouding her face.  
“We all did or hoped it at least. Now all we can do is fight.”  
“Are you sure about this, about taking the kids?”  
Sarah left Mikey and crossed to her husband, one hand reaching up to cup his face. They had already planned an escape, it seemed that all of them had expected to need a way out in the future that would hide those most vulnerable from the maelstrom. All that needed to happen was explaining to Frank and Claire and Ray knew already that it was the best way to keep the children safe. Missile would moan, at fourteen she wanted to fight but Crim’s bunker in six was still the deepest, safest and most high tech bunker they had and Sarah would hide there with her and the baby until either they won or found an escape route. Whatever happened there was no better fighter than Bright Blade and Ray knew that she would make sure the kids survived.  
“It’s the only thing we can do so that you are free to fight. Staying in six will hopefully mean it’s the last place BLI look.”  
The door opened and now Ray had to smile before he was buried under Frank and Gerard, the three men hugging tightly as Sarah pushed the girls into the kitchen to make coffee and catch up on the latest gossip. Ray pushed the door closed, looking over at Gerard who was sat next to Mikey, concern written over his face.  
“He was lucky, came close to bleeding out.”  
“Will he be ok?”  
Gerard couldn’t stop the relieved smile that appeared as Ray grinned.  
“Nanotech means he will be poker facing us by nightfall. Which is good cos I want to know what he saw and what it means.”  
Frank pulled up a chair as the three men sat by the bed. He had taken no chances since he and Claire had fled, Mikey had been very certain that the force facing them was the largest BLI had sent west since the original city sprang up and he didn’t doubt that they were in trouble.  
“Mikey said they had armoured vehicles, drones and enough troops to outnumber whoever we can muster by at least ten to one. Whatever they want it can’t be good.”  
“Killing witnesses means they intend to hit us without warning, it would be massacre.”  
Gerard ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the others.  
“There’s a new leadership back home now, a government that has a chance. We need evidence to prove that the threat is coming.”  
Frank sat back.  
“So we’re really getting involved again? After last time?”  
“What choice do we have?”  
A silence fell, all of them locked in memories that were both heady and terrifying. Three years had done nothing to dull them and Gee couldn’t deny the excitement that went up his back. He had hoped beyond hope that it was over and enjoyed running wild with his woman but now…well this couldn’t be ignored.  
“There will be nowhere left to run.”  
They turned at the tired voice from the bed, Mikey smiling to see his family around him. He hadn’t wanted to go to Frank, vague memories of pain and the vast rumble of trucks and machines that he had seen. There had been rumours, that’s why Mikey had gone east in the first place, but this was worse than he had imagined. BLI had risen, intent on regaining control and they were headed straight for the territory that had defeated them.  
“We have to get the Killjoys back up and fighting.”  
“What about the kids and all the families that are gonna die?”  
Frank stared at his friends, all he could think about was the death to come and although he would fight to the death for his family he badly wanted a way out. Ray laid out his plan to hide Frankie and Missile with Bright and then paused, looking around at his friends before continuing.  
“As for everyone else I had an idea. We have a huge empty city in the desert right? We put all the civilians in the old Battery City and lock it down. If we win then they are safe from the fighting, if not they can hold out long enough to negotiate a surrender.”  
Gerard nodded, his friend had always been the understated genius.  
“It could work.”  
Frank grinned.  
“It’s the start of a plan. We have to convince the others of the threat first though.”  
“Mikes, did you get any evidence.”  
Mikey slowly shook his head.  
“No camera on me but I know where they are.”  
“So we go get pictures. Frank, you up for that?”  
The door opened, a smirking Lily sitting the baby in Gee’s lap as Claire and Sarah passed around steaming cups of coffee. Claire was in total agreement to hide her son in six with Sarah and now listened as the guys outlined an idea to gather evidence to show the new leadership of the fledgling America that once again they were under attack. Lily listened carefully and then pointed at her best friend.  
“We will go get the evidence. You guys have to be seen if people are going to rally to the cause. Dr D is probably still at the diner and if he’s gonna broadcast then the kids need to know it’s the Fabulous Killjoys they are fighting for.”  
Frank rolled his eyes.  
“Mikey nearly got killed, this is gonna be no picnic.”  
“And we are bringing weapons not sandwiches.”  
Claire glared at her man until he put his hands up in defeat with a wry grin as Gerard simply smirked at Lily.  
“Fine but we want footage and evidence we can use not a killing spree.”  
Mikey grabbed her hand, his face serious.  
“Watch you back.”  
She smiled at him, more relieved than ever that he was alive and that all of them were together. It didn’t seem to matter that they were facing death again, it was something that never really went away.  
“We need transport and to get into the colours. As for you four its makeover time.”  
Mikey laughed and regretted it as a debate started over whether anyone could really still fit back into skin tight jeans after three years and he relaxed, watching them bicker and then head out towards the locked cases that contained the remnants of their old lives. He knew his red jacket was there along with his gun and bandanna, the good luck helmet and even, if he knew Ray’s hoarding, his old bike. Mikey couldn’t deny it felt good.  
A feeling of celebration had almost taken over them all, the rest of the day and evening spent reliving old memories and stories of lost friends, of returning themselves to both the look of the killjoys they had been and that mind set. Even Frank had lost his misgivings slightly, the familiar Frankenstein mask soon parked on his head as he shook out the yellow jersey and green vest.   
“At least it all still fits.”  
Gerard wiggled his ass, running his fingers through his damp and now flame red hair.  
“I think a lot of people will get a surprise to see us like this again.”  
“A rallying call.”  
Crimson nodded, time had been reversed and she loved it. These were the men she had fought and loved, Party with the keys to the Trans Am in his hand, Fun Ghoul now twirling the green gun in his hands as Jet tossed his helmet into the back of the car and Kobra limped painfully towards his seat on the passenger side.  
The two cars sat side by side, a borrowed Mustang for the girls as Rainbow kissed her sleeping son on the cheek and picked up her purple jacket. In the trunk of their car was a few surprised for BLI and a hand held camera that could send both stills and video feed back to the boys. Hopefully it would be enough to get the message out into the Zones that war had come again and everyone needed to suit up and keep running.  
“Be careful.”  
Party hated this part, holding both the women tight.  
“Always, Say hi to D for us.”  
Frank hugged them too, noting that a bag stuffed with whiskey bottles sat on the back seat of the car. He couldn’t resist a smile, they never made a big bang without whiskey and he fought down the urge to ask Rainbow to stay, kissing her smile as she smirked at him.  
“Recon only.”  
“Hush now Frank, no being a killjoy.”  
That made him giggle, more hugs and goodbyes being exchanged as Sarah made her own departure with the sleeping baby and sulky teenager. Six was a long way, the Trans Am following as the girls headed off into the opposite direction and towards where Mikey had seen the approaching army. Night was falling, Crimson turning on the radio as Rainbow loaded up the guns.   
“You know that stuff Party and Ghoul said about just recon….”  
Rainbow grinned widely.  
“The boys were being boring and slightly pussy….”  
“So very boring….and utterly pussy…”  
The radio boomed into life, a racing guitar riff filling the car with noise as Crim t-boned it onto the roadway. Dust flew as the acceleration hit them both and Rainbow settled back, her smile matched by Crimson’s.  
“Let’s go make some noise.”


	4. Destroya

“The call is out killjoys. Destroya is active.”  
Party winced, it had taken three weeks to cross back into the Zones and the fact that the call was now out made it real. He glanced back at the diner behind him, the heat soaking into his skin as he threw his jacket onto the back seat and leant against the car. Kobra was sleeping in the passenger seat, nearly healed up but still liable to bouts of fatigue that caused his brother some concern. Jet was already loading up with fresh batteries from the vending machine that stood unloved against the slowly decaying building.  
“Dr D never changes, surprised he didn’t move somewhere near civilisation.”  
Ghoul smirked in response, the doc knew the score even better than they did and had not batted an eyelid when told that BLI was back. He had simply offered to contact the civilian government on the Killjoys behalf and to send out the signal that would rally every killjoy that had ever worn the colours back to the North Crater. It would be there that they would broadcast out to them that war was coming but first came the hard part.  
“At least the council still gathers at the Crater Club. We can get a decent drink while dealing with politicians.”  
“Ghoul my dear boy, let me do the talking.”  
Party grinned as Ghoul kissed his smile and leant back beside him.  
“That I will. If they talk of negotiation though I am going to get Kobra to shoot them. He’d be the only one to keep a straight face.”  
Jet had overheard and laughed, taking both the green and yellow guns from his friend to reload. Dr D had reminded them that while the anarchists had won the war, it was the bureaucrats that won the peace. People still needed government and it was these people that they needed to convince of the danger. Crimson and Rainbow had managed to get some footage to the DJ and some estimates to the boys. It was as bad as it got numerically and at current rates the girls estimated that they only had four to six weeks tops before the enemy hit the Zones. It was a big army and they would need some serious defences.  
“Some of them were killjoys, they will get it.”  
Jet nodded slowly, handing them back the weapons before looking critically at Party.  
“The new weapons will help but we need to be ready and I’m not sure we will get the numbers. Is there a plan B?”  
Party shrugged.  
“Not right now but I’m open to suggestions.”  
“We run.”  
Kobra opened one eye with his sarcastic comment and was rewarded with a flick to the ear as his brother and friends got in the car and pulled away. It would be another few hours before they hit Zone One and yet as they drove they noticed cars beginning to follow and then peel off in Two towards the North Crater. By then it was twenty or thirty vehicles, filled with brightly coloured clothes and noise as the faithful began to answer the cause. Party was half buoyed by this and half saddened, so many people would die again and it felt like history was beginning to repeat itself. He suddenly felt old.  
“Well at least it won’t be just the four of us…”  
Ghoul jabbed Jet in the ribs and leant over, turning up the music as Party really put his foot down and the Trans Am roared forward. He was concerned for the girls, not trusting either of them to just watch but somehow reassured to be reminded at how good they were as scouts. In a matter of two days they had assessed the numbers and worked out that the supply lines stretched right back to what remained of New York. Not exactly comforting news.  
“Is Neon still at the Crater?”  
Kobra nodded, he had taken the kid out on recon before but sent him home before the last trip out. What he hadn’t told the others was that he had quietly alerted the Killjoy elite to the danger and they had been rallying the troops. Now not only would Neon be waiting but Toxic Monster, Red Racer and several other veterans. He had done everything to keep his brother and friends out of danger but somehow this had been inevitable.  
“Yeah and he still pours the best Margaritas in town.”  
“Gonna need margaritas after this bullshit.”  
Jet took a potshot at a random scorpion that was shuffling across the desert and pondered again on the odds as the abandoned city appeared in the distance. All around them habitation had sprung up in the three years they had been away and commerce bustled in the markets and buildings. It was good to see and yet all Party could think about was what trenches and weapons they could deploy to keep the people around them alive.  
Cheering started up as they passed, people waving and pointing at the iconic car and the men inside. Killjoy or not, the populace remembered who had fought for them and all of them had heard rumours that Destroya was only broadcast when there was trouble coming. They were afraid, there had been mass enquiries to the leadership, but seeing the heroes of previous battles sparked hope and by the time the Trans Am pulled into the garages that housed the entrance to the Crater Club a huge crowd had gathered.  
Party blushed a little, waving to the people who screamed his name as Kobra made for the entrance and the pairing of Jet and Ghoul emptied the car of the black cases that hid some of the more valuable weapons. Questions were being shouted at them and Party paused, raising his hand until a silence fell.  
“All your questions will be answered, we will put the broadcast out shortly but we need to speak to the council.”  
A rising tide of noise answered him until one man stepped forward. He wore bright blue and both Ghoul and Kobra thought they recognised him as he smiled at their leader.  
“Just tell us Party, are they back?”  
Party paused, his face serious as his voice quietly carried.  
“We wouldn’t be back if they weren’t but there’s a plan. I promise we will tell you everything and then you can decide whether to fight or run.”  
The man nodded, still smiling as more coloured bandannas and masks appeared from pockets and bags. They had all expected it too, a populace that had known nothing but war and had not relied on peace. A silence fell as the Killjoys went inside and headed down towards the conference room in the back of the club. Familiar faces like Nitro Noise and Phantom Fox sat at the table along with some older men that had once lived in Battery City and had adapted to helping the government run after it fell. They watched the anarchists with some trepidation as the four men hugged former comrades and then sat down. Their leader, a small balding man named Dawson, spoke first.  
“Welcome home.”  
Party smiled reassuringly, his friends amused at the charm now on display.  
“I am sorry its in these circumstances, its good to see how well you are flourishing without us.”  
“Because of you.”  
“The settlements have their own government now.”  
“Thanks to the blood these men spilled.”  
Nitro spoke quietly, he liked having Party and the boys back and didn’t like Dawson and his clique at all. The settlements may be prosperous but the council that ran them was deeply divided. There was a murmur of talk before Party glared them down, determined now to make sure that there would be a unified leadership, dictatorship by four if necessary.  
“Let’s cut to the chase. BLI is coming for us.”  
Silence was immediate before Dawson spoke slowly.  
“How do you know?”  
“Kobra has seen them. Our scouts have sent footage that Dr D has put on disk for us.”  
He motioned to Kobra who flipped the switch on the viewer to project the images up on the screen as Jet killed the lights. All the men watched the civilians and killjoys on the council and their reactions as tanks, armoured carriers and troops trooped across a darkened landscape. It had clearly been a settlement, the camera cutting to burning bodies and ruined buildings. Ghoul held his breath at Rainbow crossing the camera and pointing out the zero survivor rate and the holes left by claymores and small arms.  
“We reckon several hundred vehicles, about five thousand troops.”  
She shrugged at the camera and it cut away to columns of troops and above the hum of drones. The view was hidden by trees and Party bit his lip at how close to the enemies the girls had got. Crim’s voice came on, outlining the route that BLI seemed to be taking and what they could see as a direction from where they had come. Kobra watched the civilians, even more worried now that they would want to negotiate, his attention only drawn back when the screen lit up with huge explosions and Rainbow appeared, her hand to her mouth in mock horror.  
“Oh no. Someone left a load of high explosive mines in the road.”  
Crim came into view, a wolfish grin on her face.  
“How careless of me!”  
Party smirked, the quiet sound of laughter going around the room as Crim continued.  
“The Bang Bet is on boys. The team that loses will be subject to the most sexually degrading punishment the winners can think of and I have a very active imagination.”  
Rainbow came back into shot, the two women hugging and clinking whiskey bottle together as they both toasted the inferno and muted screams behind.  
“This puts us thirty points ahead. Good luck kids.”  
The camera cut out and Jet swallowed a grin at the shit eating smile on Party’s face as he stared down the appalled Dawson and Ghoul just rubbed his hands together. It was left to Kobra to bring the conversation back around to the matter in hand.  
“We move the civilians into the city and set out defences are far from these settlements as we can. Whatever fighters we can muster will hold them off and hopefully push them back.  
The killjoys in the room were in agreement, the civilians listening at the approving murmurs as the civilians answered them with muttered disagreements and Dawson made the obvious point.  
“And if you can’t stop them?”  
“Then we run. Or at least go back underground.”  
“We should negotiate.”  
The room erupted in shouting, Ghoul and Party exchanging a glance as Jet tried to calm those nearest to him and Kobra remained pokerfaced. Neon was appalled and stood, his hands banging on the table.  
“BLI will never accept us living free. I’m not gonna die a drugged slave.”  
“There are women and children that deserve a choice.”  
All eyes turned to Party as he leant back in his chair, the quiet voice carrying and silencing the two sides. It was unnerving, the four men at the table had died, been resurrected and now walked among the population as more than men, something iconic.  
“We broadcast the footage to the ones that answer Destroya. We hide the women and children and then we fight.”  
Kobra stood, his face determined.  
“We live free or die fighting. No surrender, no negotiation.”


	5. Ambush

Kobra ambled downstairs towards Hedonism with a tired smile.  
Destroya had worked better than all of them had hoped, nearly a thousand old hands and new recruits had answered the call and seen the footage. Already the civilians were packing up and heading into the abandoned city, Jet had got power back and all the basic amenities in place so that they could both live in reasonable comfort and lock down tight if the need arose.  
He had spent the day with Party and Ghoul organising the training and rearmament of the troops as Dawson had found himself thoroughly put in his place by Rainbow much to everyone else’s amusement. The girls had returned in good spirits, the boys had almost forgotten how well Rainbow could organise just about anyone and Kobra had enjoyed it, the formidable woman had cowed all argument on the council merely by force of will. That and Crimson staring people down while still carrying plasma grenades.  
A true stick and carrot approach.  
Party had been relieved by the numbers and happy to let the others organise in the settlements as he dug out all the weapons that he and Crim had hauled out of bunkers all over the south of the ruined country. Kobra had been quietly impressed, starting to feel a little more hopeful that they could at least keep BLI at bay long enough to make a fight of things. He kept his own fears and doubts close to his chest as always, Kobra preferred roaming alone although he knew that all of his friends would have been happy to have him around.  
Nice thought but he was too restless for that.  
Even hanging around now was making him itch, Kobra had spent longer undercover in the city than any of his friends and it had stayed with him. A form of PTSD he guessed, the conditioning that had been inflicted on all of them after BLI had raised them from the dead had not worked on Mikey then but an undercover mission had led to his capture and a more subtle form of mind control. He knew Crim wasn’t bothered by it, even Party had brushed it off but he knew that he was susceptible and he had killed a woman he loved because of it. Crimson had come back but Mikey had never forgotten that he was vulnerable.  
He blinked away the thought, pushing open the door to the bar and grinning at the sight in front of him. Rainbow was at one of the tables, a pile of paperwork under her gun and a bottle of whiskey beside her as she sorted through the lists of people to hide and to arm. A few other patrons milled around, all of them not getting too close to Crimson who was at the bar, a shot in front of her and a book in her hand.  
“What are you reading?”  
She looked up a smile blooming as Kobra sat down at the bar.  
“Norse mythology. Thinking of trying out a blood eagle.”  
Crim waved the book at him as Neon poured them both a shot and one for Rainbow who had appeared on Kobra’s other side. The three glasses met as they toasted each other and continued survival. Rain motioned for more as she critically looked her friend up and down.  
“You healed up ok?”  
“Whatever Jet puts in that good of his works, I feel fine.”  
Kobra smiled, he had a fair idea of what was happening here as the women inched closer, Crimson draping an arm around his shoulder.  
“We missed you Mikey.”  
“I missed you both too, gets lonely out there.”  
Crim kissed his neck, one hand already running down the front of his shirt.  
“Good, Wanna go get a room at the bottom and play?”  
He sighed, leaning in to kiss her gently before looking at Rainbow.  
“Well that sounds fun but where are my brother and Frank exactly?”  
“They haven’t seen each other in a year, where do you think?”  
Rainbow handed him another shot, the bottle appearing in front of them along with a set of keys. Neon smirked, the operation had been well planned and it wouldn’t have mattered if Party and Ghoul had happened to appear. They would simply have been included. The girls had decided that a little release was needed before the killing started and were only gutted that Jet had promised Bright that he wouldn’t join in the bed hopping.  
“You’re trying to seduce me.”  
Kobra twirled the keys on his finger, his face deadpan.  
“We have seduced you or are you seriously saying that you don’t want to share an evening of depravity with us?”  
Crim dropped her lip, Rainbow now tucked against Kobra’s shoulder too.   
“Since when do I turn that down but you know the rules.”  
“Don’t make me say it…”  
Crimson winced as both Kobra and Rainbow stared at her, the challenge clear in his eyes and amusement in hers. They had long played together, the Dominant in Mikey loving the pliant and submissive Rainbow while enjoying breaking the more bratty Crimson. He now raised an eyebrow and she huffed.  
“Yes daddy, your rules.”  
Kobra smirked in triumph and tucked the tequila bottle into his jacket, the girls leading their way down to the very bottom of the club where the play rooms were. They tended to not get much use when the killjoys weren’t home and now the place was empty and quiet despite the music roaring outside. Rainbow had made sure that the place was tidy and well stocked with more booze, the most comfy pillows and sheets Crim could steal and a fair few of the toys.  
“You know what I want.”  
Crimson bit her lip, leaning against the door as Mikey slid his jacket and shirt off, reclining against the mass of cushions. She traced the criss cross of new scars across his chest, liking the contrast against the pale flesh until Rainbow pulled her face around and kissed her hard. He liked to watch them as they slowly undressed each other, content to let the pleasure rise without touching himself. Crimson kept eye contact with him, the challenge in her eyes only increasing the tension as a moan broke free and Rainbow winked at Mikey in triumph.  
“All of it…”  
Kobra couldn’t resist the flush that rose in him at the sight of first one layer and then another on the girls going flying until Crim could finally get what she wanted, caressing and licking at Rainbow’s full breasts until she was openly moaning aloud and Kobra had to touch himself through the tight jeans.  
“You need help with that?”  
He raised an eyebrow.  
“My rules. Now why don’t you two come kneel here and wait.”  
Rainbow immediately sank to her knees at the foot of the bed, a perfect submissive pose that only accentuated the curves of her naked body. Crimson hung back, liking how Kobra’s eyes travelled up and down until he met hers.  
“Crimson, I am not Party. I won’t take your shit.”  
“But…”  
She stopped, wide eyed as he stood and undid the jeans, Rainbow helping him slip them down muscled thighs until the full glory of his manhood was revealed. Both the brothers were not small men and Crim couldn’t deny the lust that caused her to shiver and falter towards the bed. In her mind she could hear Party giggling, her man loved it when his brother turned on the dark side.  
“What do you say?”  
Kobra smiled as Crimson dropped to her knees beside Rainbow, a smirk on her face but the breathless words that couldn’t deny the want. He enjoyed the view, stroking himself as he admired the two naked women before him.   
“Thank you daddy….”  
Rainbow couldn’t resist the smug grin at her friend, the game was too much fun and all three of them tumbled onto the bed, Kobra relaxing back as hands stroked and caressed him, Rainbow claiming his mouth as Crimson contented herself with kissing all the scars that dotted his chest. His hands lazily stroked patterns over them both, his eyes shut but his mind alive with the feeling of his senses rising and peaking. One hand found Crim’s hair, forcing her head lower until she was face to face with his erection and teasing him with her lips. Kobra couldn’t stop the moans, rising in pitch as Rainbow crawled down him and joined her.  
It was too erotic, he had been alone a long time and knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back if they both continued sucking and licking his cock, his balls, his thighs. The part of him that loved control caused him to pull them both up by the hair, the smirk on his face directed at Rain.  
“Go get the toys, let’s play.”  
Crimson went to go too, amused at being held back by the hair and aware now that both of them had decided it was her turn to be the plaything. Kobra took the cuffs from his flame haired accomplice and firmly handcuffed her to the metal bedstead. He left her there, kissing Rainbow deeply and contenting himself with roughly caressing her, Crimson getting more and more turned on by the sight of his probing fingers making Rain squirm as he pushed her thighs apart. She was trembling in his embrace as he probed her, licking his fingers before pointing at Crim.  
“You taste good and Crim needs to know it.”  
Rainbow needed little encouragement, crawling up her friends body until she could feel hot breath on her pussy and she had to cling to the bedframe too. Crimson loved it, licking the sweet honey from her friend’s dripping lips, the moans from both of them raising in pitch, for long minutes they enjoyed each other and almost forgot Kobra was there until he decided to remind Crim by roughly pulling her legs apart and slamming himself inside her. Rainbow shuddered, the squeal ripped from Crim reverberated against her clit and she loved watching Kobra fuck her friend roughly until the orgasm was rising almost too fast. Her words were gasped, Kobra deadpan as she begged.  
“Daddy, please can I cum?”  
“No. Not yet.”  
Rainbow almost swayed, Crim determined now to make it happen despite the increasing desire to scream for her own release. Kobra was relentless, pounding her harder, knowing that she was struggling as much as Rainbow not to beg. He edged them both closer and closer….before getting up, the almost whines of disappointment from both women amusing him. Rainbow turned, Kobra wanting her to kneel for him and making her do so before presenting her with his cock. She obediently swallowed him down, Kobra now reduced to moaning as Crim took a moment to catch her breath. She knew better than to touch herself without permission despite the ache of losing him and the almost peak of orgasm. Kobra released the handcuffs with a smirk.  
“Crim, I want to watch you…”  
She giggled, catching the vibrator that he threw her way and arching back against the pillows so that he could see her slip it in her aching pussy. Now he really was struggling, the sight of that and Rainbow’s lips around him was making it harder and harder to keep his control and Kobra knew it would soon be too late.  
“You get to cum.”  
Rainbow gasped as Kobra roughly pulled her up and pushed her face down onto the bed next to Crim. His hands gripped her roughly and she sighed in enjoyment as he slipped his cock between her pussy lips and teased her, Crim’s breathy cries rising higher as he slowly fucked her lover. He was trembling, breathless pleasure matched in all three of them as he timed it well enough that they all reached a peak within seconds of each other.   
“I missed you both.”  
Crim smiled sleepily, content to be huddled between Rainbow and Kobra as they finally made a nest in the crumpled sheets and discarded pillows. It was nice just to lay there, some peace before the chaos.  
“We missed you too. It looked bad out there Mikes.”  
He nodded, pushing Rainbow’s hair back from her face with gentle fingers.  
“It is bad. We’re not going to win this and I think Party knows it.”  
“We will do the best we can.”  
He continued to think on it long after the girls had fallen asleep, finally leaving them there and heading back up to the empty bar where a similarly dishevelled Party and Ghoul had finally surfaced for refreshments. They poured him a glass, guessing from his slight limp just where their women had disappeared to. Party filled his and Ghoul’s glasses too.  
“You got ambushed huh?”  
Kobra grinned.  
“Those girls are the best ambush you can get.”  
“Well let’s go down there and sleep. Tomorrow we go to war.”  
Ghoul turned the lights out in the bar and the three men headed back down to the play rooms. It was indeed the last night of comfort for a long time and up above them the desert slept, unaware of the death that was coming for everyone who had ever fired a shot and those that had never even wanted to see a gun.  
Silence fell.


	6. Day Out Desert Style

The Trans Am roared through the desert as sun blushed the horizon.  
They were the vanguard as always, Party and his boys followed closely behind by the now modified and spray painted Mustang containing Crim and Rainbow. There had been a report of a settlement on the far eastern ridges being raided and now all of them wondered if it was merely local thugs or the raiding party of a following army. Hence the early morning jaunt.  
Only a single other car was with them, Party had insisted the main killjoy force concentrate on the city and defences. That was only part of it, if he was honest he was just out for some fun. The army had always forgotten that their leaders were just basically anarchists out for a good time and Party knew he had somehow forgotten that himself. It was nice to remember and now he turned, his brother deadpan at the wink that came his way.  
“We’re down in the Bang Bet, we need to catch up cos I am not wearing a dress again.”  
Kobra smirked, his gun taking out a passing snake.  
“Don’t lie you love it. Although Jet has the best legs.”  
“I do not!”  
Ghoul giggled, elbowing his appalled friend.  
“You do. Party has the best ass though.”  
Party grinned, not denying it as he accelerated out further onto the dust covered highways of Zone 6. Even over the engine he could hear the music coming from the girls car and cursed under his breath as the Mustang veered out and matched him for speed. Crimson grinned across at him as Rainbow kept them neck and neck at nearly a hundred. It was wild, exhilarating in a way that few could imagine and all that Party had ever wanted.  
“Go faster bitch!”  
Her words were ripped away by the wind as Crim collapsed back into the passenger seat with a grin. She was itching for a fight and hoped that they found at least a small contingent of dracs to take the bloodlust out on. She smirked at her friend, amused at how quickly the thin veneer of a normal life had fallen away from Rainbow. This was how Crim loved her, wild eyed and high on adrenaline as they raced across the desert.  
“Think those guys have lost their nerve, Party would never have let us beat him back in the day.”  
“You would be surprised. He changed after what happened, he’s just high on life and wants to have fun. Should make this war a lot more interesting.”  
“Ghoul changed too, he’s more serious now and its worse now we have the baby.”  
Crim nodded, thinking any change may well not be permanent.  
“Wait till the killing starts. Both of them will soon get that zeal back that we had to fuck out of them.”  
Rainbow nodded, smiling as Party sped past them and back into the lead.  
“Well Kobra certainly perked up after our fun.”  
“How could he not…”  
Party himself glanced in the wing mirror with a satisfied grin. He might lose the bang bet but his baby never lost a race. It was Kobra smacking him on the arm and pointing that made him focus on a dark plume of smoke on the horizon. His brother looked deadpan again, all of them quieting a little.  
“That’s the settlement.”  
Party nodded, swinging the car back onto the dirt road and towards the smoke. The boys started to load the guns and noted that the closer they got the more smoke and occasional blackened grass they saw. They forded the hill, pulling the car up as the girls pulled in beside them, the other car waved around to crest the ridge.  
“Fuck….”  
Ghoul winced, following Jet out of the car to stand and look down on the remains below. What remained of the ramshackle buildings still burned, bodies scattered around and all of them showed laser wounds. The killjoys drew weapons, carefully walking down to the scorched sand and looking around, Jet sent the other killjoys out to the edges to keep watch. Nobody had stood a chance and Party knew this wasn’t bandits. It was too clean, too methodical and not even small children had been spared.  
“This was a raiding party.”  
Ghoul nodded, watching as Jet checked the bodies for pulses with a grim determination. They had been here before and it was as grim as his nightmares remembered. Kobra walked towards the edge of the village to where a white dressed body lay on the roadside.  
“They took their dead, some of the villagers had weapons. Guess they missed this one. Crimson looked down at the Drac, a shiver of loathing going up her back. She knew this settlement from her time on the run, it had grown like most since the war ended and there had been nearly a hundred people here.  
“There should be more bodies.”  
Ghoul looked grim, his finger on the trigger.  
“Which means they are making dracs as they come west.”  
“We’re going to get more outnumbered the closer they get.”  
Party winced, rage in his eyes as he gently covered over a small corpse.  
“We need to start sending some bodies back of our own.”  
Kobra patted his brother on the back, he knew that look too well.  
“They’ll be long gone. This place was hit a while back.”  
Party swore under his breath, walking over to where Crimson was watching something along the valley. There had been a clump of old rotting buildings that way that were long since looted but it was something else that had caught her eye and she handed her lover the binoculars she carried.  
“Someone is lurking out there.”  
Party focused the glasses and a savage grin crossed his face. Seemed like the Dracs hadn’t taken Kobra’s advise and had instead chosen to go scavenging around the ruins. He whistled, bringing his comrades over and watching as all of them took a turn to look at the enemy.  
“Red, take your team back and feed this information to the council.”  
Red Racer nodded gravely, the young man knew that his leaders wanted a fight and was quite glad not to be involved although what they had seen was bad enough news. He gathered his team and Party let them drive away a little before turning to his family with a wicked smirk.  
“Wanna go have some fun?”  
Crim whooped and within minutes the two cars were roaring across the gap, headlong into the fight and for once, with little caution. The Dracs were surprised, all of them racing out of the decaying buildings at the sound of two muscle car, forcing Rainbow and Party to handbrake turn, their friends piling out almost before the cars had stopped.   
Laser fire lit up the sand, white clothed figures falling as the thirty enemy faced down six legends who didn’t care about the odds. Party loved it, looking across to where Crim was wielding the two new guns he had found and customised for her. She had named them Fear and Regret, bright red sparks flying as bodies started to fall. Ghoul and Rainbow had skirted around into the building and were decimating those inside as Jet and Kobra fought their way towards the truck that had housed the dracs.  
Party smacked a Drac around the face with his gun, the knife in his hand easily sliding up into the creatures jaw as it screeched and fell. He kicked it, the blind rage in his mind as he thought of the dead people in the village leaving no room for mercy as one by one the guns fell silent. All the dracs were down and now Party could find out what his enemy wanted.  
“Search them all. Anything in the truck?”  
Kobra nodded, a folder in his hand.  
“It’s what we thought. Raiding party and seems more to come.”  
Jet took the folder, a list of potential targets catching his eye.  
“They are staying far out, guess they hope we won’t see them coming.”  
“Too late for that.”  
Ghoul trotted past them, a lollipop sticking out of his mouth.  
“They have some decent weapons back there and supplies.”  
Crimson patted Party on the shoulder, Rainbow at her side as the three of them helped Ghoul to load both cars with supplies and all the weapons and ammo that the enemy had been carrying. The sun was high by the time they finished and all of them were grateful for the shade of the buildings as they sat together, water and food passed around before the long journey back.  
“Maybe we shouldn’t go back.”  
Kobra felt all eyes turned to him.  
“Maybe we should go forward, see if we can take out any other raiding parties and slow them down.”  
Ghoul nodded, Jet’s face concerned.  
“Do we have enough supplies for that?”  
“We do now plus the new weapons we brought along.”  
Party smirked as Crim grinned at him.  
“You boys get to try and catch up on the bet.”  
“We get to strike at BLI before they hit us too hard.”  
Rainbow was silent, like Party she couldn’t get the bodies of the civilians out of her head.”  
“We get to massacre them before they massacre more of us.”  
Silence fell, all of them looking out across the sand as Party loaded his gun.  
“Time to go to war.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack :)


End file.
